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| December 05, 2011- In This Issue |
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Home
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Flu Campaign |
District Wins EPA Award |
Hands Making You Sick? |
Columbus Closes Gap |
Dental Hygiene |
Staying Fit as We Age |
Armies of Germs |
PHBRIEFS |
PHRECIPE |
PHTRAINING |
PHEVENTS
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PHNEWS
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PHPOLL
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A teacher is all smiles while Laurie
Drennon, Pike County Nurse Manager gives
her a flu shot.
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Last year, Georgia ranked 41st in the United
States in the percentage of residents who
received a flu shot, and the Georgia Department
of Public Health (DPH) knows we can do better.
National Influenza Vaccination Week, December 4
- 10, emphasizes the importance of flu
vaccinations and presents an ideal time to
improve our ranking and keep Georgians healthy.
The DPH immunization program developed a media
toolkit for district immunization coordinators
and their public information officers to promote
the week through local press releases, letters
and fact sheets. Statewide, local newspapers
and radio stations were asked to remind their
audiences that it is never too late to vaccinate
and that flu shots are conveniently available
not only in doctor's offices, clinics and
pharmacies, but also at their local public
health departments.
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(L-R) Michael Slaton and Christine
Buffington accept their awards for
outstanding environmental justice
from the Environmental Protection
Agencyy
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Congratulations are in order for North Central
Health District employees, Christine Buffington
and Michael Slaton, for their involvement with
the Woolfolk Community Engagement Team. Ms.
Buffington and Mr. Slaton were the public health
representatives on a team made up of citizens,
business owners and other stakeholders in the
Woolfolk community. This team won the 2011
Notable Achievement Award for Outstanding
Environmental Justice from the Environmental
Protection Agency.
Michael Slaton is the environmental health lead
for the Peach County Health Department.
Christine Buffington is currently the
environmental health lead for the Houston County
Health Department, but during her service on the
Woolfolk Community Engagement Team, she was a
risk communicator for the Chemical Hazards
Program.
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Are Your Hands Making You Sick?
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During National Handwashing Awareness Week
(December 4 - 10), DPH is reminding Georgians
that handwashing saves lives and is the first
step to prevention against the common cold,
hepatitis A, meningitis, influenza and
diarrhea-causing viruses.
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Your hands could hold the clues to the illnesses or symptoms
you experience on a daily basis. You may not wash your hands
as much as you should in order to avoid spreading diseases
or contracting an illness. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, handwashing is important to
keeping you from spreading or coming in contact with
infectious diseases. Even though many people know the
benefits of it, one out of three Americans still skip
handwashing after going to the bathroom. In a survey of
junior high and high school boys and girls, only 58 percent
of girls and 48 percent of boys washed their hands after
using the restroom.
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is all too
familiar with the impact of infectious diseases in public
settings. DPH is reminding employees and their families that
handwashing saves lives and is the first step to prevention
against the common cold, hepatitis A, meningitis, influenza and
diarrhea-causing viruses. During National Handwashing Awareness
Week (December 4 - 10), DPH is promoting the basic practices for
handwashing and hand awareness: Wash your hands when they are
dirty; do not cough in your hands (cover your mouth with your
forearm); do not sneeze in your hands (use a tissue or forearm);
and do not put your fingers in your eyes, nose or mouth. Play it
safe and remember to always wash your hands and to keep your
hands away from your face.
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Columbus Health Department Leads Effort to Close Healthcare Gap
 Getting
an annual health screening is an important way to detect an
illness early and take action to improve your health.
Although getting screened is vital to taking charge of your
health, there are many people who are not able to do so due
to a lack of finances and resources. Recognizing this need,
the medical community in Columbus, Ga. came together more
than 11 years ago to offer free annual health screenings to
the medically underserved in Columbus.
Since that time, the Annual Health Expo has seen more
than 12,000 people and provided over 51,900 health
screenings at no cost to the participant. In addition
to the health screenings, all abnormal tests are
followed, tracked and monitored by the Columbus
Department of Public Health for two years. A detailed
evaluation is completed each year and made available to
all screening providers and sponsors. This evaluation
includes valuable information regarding the demographics
of the population served as well as a complete detailed
listing of all 40 health screenings offered.
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First year Georgia Perimeter College dental
hygiene students Vladimir Tarasov (left) and
Christen Davis (as the Tooth Fairy) assist
DeKalb County Board of Health's Dental Health
Services Director Dr. Dwayne Turner as he checks
a dental sealant applied by another student.
The willing patient is Dresden Elementary third
grader Raul Lopez.
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Georgia Perimeter College dental hygiene students
learned how important good oral health is for keeping
school children healthy and active. The college recently
partnered with Dr. Dwayne Turner, the director of dental
health of the DeKalb County Board of Health during a
Seal Georgia event..
The awareness event is sponsored by the American
Dental Hygiene Association. Aiming to prevent
untreated oral disease among disadvantaged children,
the event raises awareness about the importance of
good oral health, the events promote preventive care
and provide dental sealants to low-income children.
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It is possible to stay healthy and fit at any age.
As you age, healthy habits that start in your youth
can continue with just a few tweaks, such as
lowering your calorie intake and upping your
low-impact activity levels..
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As we age, it is no secret that it becomes more and more
challenging to lose weight and keep it off. According to
experts, a slowed metabolism combined with a less active
lifestyle, is a major factor contributing to the difficulty
in maintaining a healthy weight. According to a Mark
Macdonald, a fitness and health expert, as we age, we should
modify our diet and exercise regime to continue living a
healthy life.
Your 20s are the best time to establish your healthy
lifestyle habits. During this time, it is much easier for
you to lose weight. "Anything you do, you can drop the
weight pretty quickly," Macdonald told MSNBC in a recent
interview. "The longer you keep the weight on, the harder
it is to lose."
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"People do not realize the amount of
contamination they are exposed to going to work
each day and doing everyday things like filling
their gas tank or riding on an escalator," said
Dr. Charles Gerba, Professor of Microbiology at
the University of Arizona. "Washing and drying
your hands frequently throughout the day, can
help prevent your risk of getting sick or
spreading illness around the office."
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ROSWELL, Ga. -- Just in time for cold and flu season,
new testing in six major U.S. cities reveals that gas
pump and mailbox handles may be among the dirtiest
surfaces Americans touch. The results, released by
Kimberly-Clark Professional, show that more than 60
percent of gas pump and mailbox handles and more than 40
percent of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons can
be highly contaminated, potentially exposing people to
illness-causing bacteria. Illness in the workplace is
not just a health issue, but can also have a major
economic impact. Each year companies lose $1,685 per
employee due to absenteeism and presenteeism (employees
coming to work while sick).
The testing was conducted by trained hygienists in high
traffic locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los
Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia. Using a Hygiena
SystemSURE IITM ATP Meter, a device commonly used to
monitor sanitary conditions in industry, hygienists
swabbed the objects to measure levels of Adenosine
Triphosphate (ATP). ATP is present in all animal,
vegetable, bacteria, yeast and mold cells. Detection of
ATP indicates the presence of contamination by any of
these sources. Everyday objects with an ATP reading of
300 or higher are considered to have a high risk for
illness transmission. In all, more than 350 separate
swabs were taken and analyzed.
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Holiday Givingg
The holiday season is a great time to give back to your
community by providing donations or volunteering with vital
Public Health partners. During the month of December, PHWEEK
will provide a sampling of the opportunities available to you.
Also check out
www.handsonnetwork.org
for more opportunities in your area.
Toys for Tots
Now through Dec. 233
Donors can drop off new, unwrapped toys at any Publix store in
metro Atlanta or at the United Way's office at 100 Edgewood Ave.
N.E., Atlanta or
click here
Salvation Army's Angel Tree Program
Now through Saturday, Dec. 100
Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Atlanta's Simon Malls are hosting Angel Trees - trees decorated
with paper angel tags with the first name, age and gender of a
child. Contributors can remove one or more tags from the tree
and purchase appropriate gifts for the child or children
described on the tags. Visit the
Salvation Army website
Georgia Volunteer Health Care Program
Ongoing
Licensed healthcare professionals can volunteer to treat
uninsured individuals at or below 200 percent of the federal
poverty level. The GVHCP increases access to quality healthcare
for underserved Georgians through volunteerism and
state-sponsored liability protection.
Visit their website for more information.
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Home
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Flu Campaign |
District Wins EPA Award |
Hands Making You Sick? |
Columbus Closes Gap |
Dental Hygiene |
Staying Fit as We Age |
Armies of Germs |
PHBRIEFS |
PHRECIPE |
PHTRAINING |
PHEVENTS
|
PHNEWS
|
PHPOLL
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